The Trident Games
by Spectrobes Princess
Summary: Finnick Odair never thought he'd volunteer at the age of 14. But now that he has, he'll do whatever it takes to get out alive. But what if that means killing one of his best friends? Rated T because it's the Hunger Games, may contain a little bit of Odesta.
1. The Choice

7/27/14

Chapter 1: The Choice

I narrowly dodge a punch from my opponent, sending her falling onto the ground. She springs up and lunges at me again, but I lunge at her at the same time. I'm a lot bigger than she is, so I end up pinning her to the ground. I smirk as she tries to escape. At this rate, I'll be a victor in no time.

"And the winner of the last spar of the day is Finnick Odair!" Arthur, one of the victors/trainers shouts excitedly.

Okay, maybe I should have mentioned that I have to volunteer first. But hey, I'm getting closer every day, aren't I?

I get up and offer my hand to the sandy-haired girl I recently defeated. She refuses the help and gets up on her own.

"I'll beat you next time," she says, her hazel eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Oh we'll see about that Attina," I smirk.

Attina laughs and shakes her head, "You just got lucky this time."

"Says you," I roll my eyes. Attina rustles my hair and I shove her arm off. She laughs again as I pretend to pout. "You messed up my hair!"

"Sorry Finn," She laughs.

"Oh stop flirting," Penelope, one of the other trainees, says as she passes us. She's an unlikely trainee too, because when she was 5 a shark ripped one of her arms off. I know, it's strange that she'd even think about going into the Games, but she doesn't want her missing arm to hold her back. She's a pretty cool girl, I have to admit.

"Hey, we weren't flirting!" I exclaim dramatically.

"Yeah, can't a girl's best friend be a guy anymore?" Attina asks.

Penelope sighs and grabs her bag, "You know society today. We assume things, don't we? I'm outta here. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"See you too," Attina says as I lead her away from the sparring mat.

"Come on, let's find Caspian," I say. Caspian is our other best friend. He's practically guaranteed a spot in the 70th Hunger Games. He's always been at the top of his rank, and he's incredibly strong for our age. Somehow it doesn't surprise me that he wasn't sparring today, instead using his time to perfect his already professional usage of a sword. I personally prefer tridents, and Attina is the better with spears than anyone else in her current rank (although I must admit it's mostly trident users such as myself).

Attina and I plan to use our high rankings to our advantage. She'll volunteer for the 68th Hunger Games when she's 17, I'll volunteer for the 69th Games when I'm 18, and then Caspian, who was born after Reaping Day, will volunteer for the 70th Games when he's 18. If everything goes according to the plan, Attina's little sister will volunteer for the 71st Games. Then, District 4 will have 4 victors in a row. It's an ingenious plan really, even though the trainers doubt it'll work. The only District that's ever had two victors in a row is District 3. The four of us will be more than glad to beat that record, no matter how impossible Kai claims it is.

When we're nearing the elevator, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and see Triton, the head trainer at the academy. He isn't a victor, but he _is_ Arthur's uncle, so I suppose it counts for something.

"Odair, can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure?" I say with a shrug.

"Meet me in my office," He says before leaving.

Attina waits for him to leave before she announces, "Man I hate that guy."

"Well that was random," I say, giving her a strange glance.

"Well it's true," she shrugs. "I just don't."

"Perfectly understandable," I say. "You can go find Casper. I, unfortunately, have a meeting with Mr. grumpy gills."

"You've been watching too many pre-dark days movies," Attina laughs.

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. Hey, are we still meeting at your house tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you there," Attina says.

"Awesome. See you then," I say as we go our separate ways. I climb the stairs all the way to the 14th floor because it's good exercise. The 14th floor is where all the offices are. There's a rather nice view from such a high place, but it's pretty dangerous to be so high up during a storm. That's one disadvantage of our training center. I knock on Triton's office and he yells at me to come in.

Marina, Caspian's older sister, is sitting across from Triton when I arrive. With her jet black hair and ice blue eyes, it's obvious that they're siblings. Unlike Caspian, however, she's more brains than brawl. Her strengths lie in edible plants and making shelters more than sword fighting, although she's better at it than I'll ever be. She's 18 too, and one of the top contenders for the spot of volunteer. She's already promised that she'll be my mentor if something happens to Attina, which I'm grateful for. Even though I don't want to think about my best friend dying, it's better to be safe than sorry.

"Odair, please take a seat next to Miss Eric."

I take a seat next to Marina, who looks generally surprised.

"I think both of you have figured out why I want you in here, right?" Triton says grumpily.

"No sir, I haven't," I say, glancing at Marina.

"I think I have some pretty good guesses," Marina says, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"I want you to volunteer, idiots," he grumbles. This takes both of us by surprise.

"Me? I'd be honored!" Marina says happily. I'm too shocked to even speak. Me? Volunteer? This guy must be out of his mind! I'm only 14, my name's only been in there twice, and he wants _me_ to volunteer? "Wait… you want Finnick to volunteer too?"

"I've been thinking about it," Triton says. "Yes, yes I do. It would be a shock to the Capitol, and I know you're ready Odair."

"I don't know if I could do it if he'll be in there with me," Marina says nervously.

"Well tough luck, if it's not you then it's Penelope," Triton grumbles. I know that Marina will volunteer without hesitation now. Marina thinks of Penelope as a little sister, and she'd do anything to keep her out of the Games. Marina worries about her enough training, let alone going into the Games.

"But what about me?" I ask. "What if I don't want to go in?"

"Then it's Zale," Triton says.

I know in that moment that I have to volunteer. Zale and Marina have a strong rivalry, and I know he'd do anything to kill her once they get into that arena. Besides, if I go in with Marina we could protect each other, and the likelihood of both of us reaching the final two is slim.

"Fine," I sigh. "I'll do it."

"Finnick…" Marina says, a painful look of concern slowly filling her eyes.

"No, I have to," I look up at Triton and say with a heavy heart, "I'll volunteer."

I slowly feel the weight of my decision sink in, but I know I have no other choice. Little do I know that my life is about to change more than I could ever imagine.

…**..**

**I know, I know, I didn't say anything about writing Finnick's Games, let alone posting it. But I did. I've wanted to write another story besides The Manipulation Games for a while, but until now I haven't had the motivation to do so. **

**Also, if you've noticed how the title matches my other story, yes, it was intentional. I've decided that I'm going with that theme for most of my HG fanfics. If anyone remembers Penelope from Manipulation Games (if you don't, then she's the girl who killed Johanna's ally), then good for you. **

**Quote of the day! (yes, I'm doing those for this fic too)**

"_I'm sorry, I don't speak monkey. Would you like a banana?" _–A Series of Unfortunate Events, Count Olaf.

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	2. The Plan

7/29/14

**Hi again! Is it sad that I wrote this chapter on Sunday, but didn't post it because I didn't want to update the same fic twice in a row? Yeah, true story -_-**

**Has anyone seen the new Mockingjay trailer? Oh my gosh, I'm Fangirling so much right now! I mean, it didn't have any Finnick or Annie, but at least it was something! Seriously, I've been waiting for that trailer since like April!**

**Thank you HoneyBadger22 for the review (I'm glad you think so :) ) and following & faving, kittykat477 for following, and marisolnail for following.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 2: The Plan

When Triton is done instructing us on volunteering etiquette he _finally _lets us go. Marina and I silently walk to the elevator and I push the down button. The elevator button quickly lights up, and the door opens. Marina steps inside and waits for me to join her.

"Well, this sucks," I sigh as I step inside.

"Tell me about it, you're practically my brother. I can't kill you!" Marina sighs.

"I don't think either of us are going to kill each other," I say reassuringly, even though I'm not sure of it myself.

"You never know," Marina sighs. "Just… are you sure about this?"

"Positive. Things will work out," I say, feeling sick. I push the feeling away as the elevator dings, signaling the end of our ride. I get off without saying another word to Marina. I just can't bring myself to do it.

I go to my locker and grab my bag of stuff for what I now know will be the last time. It feels bittersweet, actually. I didn't think I'd be doing this until I was 18. I shove everything in my locker inside my bag and shut the locker. I sling the bag over my shoulders and enter the lobby.

The lobby is just a big room with a registration desk that nobody ever uses. The only reason trainees ever go in there is because it contains the only door that leads outside. I swing the door open and slowly walk outside. It's getting pretty late. The sun is starting to set.

I start on the path to Attina's house, the same path that I've taken many times but may never take again. I still don't know why she wants us to go to her house, but it can't be good. I'm kind of hoping it isn't actually. I need something to get my mind off the Games. I take my time getting there, enjoying the scenery and watching the sunset. I've always envied Attina, living outside of town and all. Even though it takes such a long time to get to her house, she doesn't have any nosy neighbors like I do.

When I finally get to her house, the sun has all but set over the seashore. I kick some sand off the top of my shoes and climb up the steps to her house. I knock on the door and wait for someone to answer.

"Hello Finnick," the grey haired man who answers says.

"Hey Mr. Cresta," I say nervously. When Attina was about 7 or so, her family died in a boating accident, so Reef Cresta, one of the most well-known citizens of District 4 (mostly because his now-deceased daughter Marissa was a victor) adopted her. "Are Attina and Caspian still here?"

"Yes, they're in Attina's room. Make yourself at home," he says.

"Thanks Reef," I say as I walk inside.

Attina's house is pretty basic. When you walk in you're in the living room, with the bathroom behind it. The stairs divide the two halves of the house, and on the other half is the kitchen with Reef's room behind it. When you climb the stairs you're lead to two doors. The one on the left is Attina's room, while the room on the right belongs to Annie, Marissa's adopted daughter. Legally she's Attina's niece, but Attina considers her a sister.

I climb up the stairs and knock on Attina's door. "Come in!"

I open the door and walk in. "Hey Finnick," Caspian says. Attina just waves and the two of them get back to playing cards.

"Finnick!" Annie squeals, quite literally tackling me in a hug.

"You're squishing me Ann," I cough.

"Oops, sorry," she says, "I just haven't seen you all week!"

"Try seeing him every day. Then you'd want a break," Attina teases me.

"Hey!" I say, pretending to act hurt.

"Come on Finn, we'll start the game over," Caspian says, gesturing to a spot on the bed. I climb onto the bed next to Attina. Annie sits between me and Caspian. Attina leans her back against the wall and starts shuffling the cards.

"So, what are we playing? Go fish? Play nine? Crazy 8's?" I ask.

"Old maid," Attina says, handing me a pile of cards. She has a guilty look on her face, so I'm certain that she's up to something. I glance at my pile and take out my two matching cards. By the look on Annie's face, I can tell she has the old maid. Fortunately, Caspian's the one who's at risk.

"So what's the plan Tina?" I whisper when I'm certain Annie isn't paying attention.

"Reef has a business meeting at 7. We sneak out then." Sneak out? Well, this _is_ Attina Sands we're talking about. I just hope I won't get in too much trouble.

Which is about as likely as Caspian tricking Attina into taking the old maid. It's just not going to happen.

…**...**

**If everything goes according to plan, we'll have a couple of filler chapters before we get to the reaping. Until then, however, we'll see just how much trouble Finnick can get into before he leaves his friends. ;)**

**Does anyone like how I included Annie in their little group? She's my favorite character, so I just had to put her somewhere in the fic.**

**Quote of the day!**

"_Kittens are adorable! Let's go find some!"_ –Fairly Odd Parents, Timmy's mom

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	3. The Prank

7/31/14

**Hi again! First of all, I'd just like to mention that, even though this chapter may seem like it's a filler, it isn't. This chapter is somewhat important to the plot. You'll see why in a couple chapters. But I guess this **_**is**_** one of the more filler-y chapters. **

**Thank you Dr. Kassi-Boo for favoriting and following.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 3: The Prank

I'd like to start by saying that I don't in any way endorse playing pranks on the head trainer/principle/anyone else that has authority over you. Actually, I don't endorse playing pranks at all. They're too dangerous. Why am I going along with this? To be honest, even _I _don't know!

"Tina, are you sure about this?" Caspian asks.

"Positive," Attina smirks.

I try not to recoil in fear at the sight of Triton's house. Sure, being the uncle of two Victors and the son of the mayor means you can splurge on housing a little, but come on. Building a huge mansion that looks like the mansions in horror movies? That's just unreasonable, right?

"Why are we here?" Annie asks quietly. We all turn to look at her, feeling a little guilty for forgetting about her.

Attina looks down at her feet nervously. I guess she didn't expect us to make it this far. "Well, um… Oh forget it! Annie, Finnick, stay out here and keep guard. Casper, you're coming with me," Attina says, dragging Caspian towards the window. What's been with her recently?

We watch as Caspian and Attina climb into a window on the second floor and disappear from sight. Annie and I stay quiet for a while before Annie speaks up.

"How do we know Triton's gone?"

"He has a car, it would be in the driveway if he was here. Besides, he's normally in his office until, oh, midnight or so. Why?" I ask.

Annie looks at her feet. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too Ann, me too," I sigh. "What could she possibly be doing though?"

The sound of tires crunching against the gravel causes us to jolt out of our thoughts. My heart starts racing with panic.

"Annie, hide!" I hiss. She nods her head and we jump into the bushes. Although it would seem like a good idea, jumping into bushes is actually quite painful, especially when those bushes happen to be _rose _bushes. I grit my teeth and try not to scream out in pain. Crap, the bushes aren't even hiding me! As soon as I hear the door to the house swing shut, I jump out of the bush.

"You okay Ann?" I ask, looking around for the timid preteen. She emerges from _behind _a rose bush, looking quite unharmed. I wish I thought of that.

"I think so. Finnick! You're covered in thorns!" she gasps.

"I'll be fine. Come on, let's go warn the lovebirds," I smirk. What, we were all thinking it! Annie nods her head as we make a mad dash for the other side of the house. A light turns on through the window, and I hope it's enough to give them some kind of warning. But honestly, I don't think it is.

"How are we gonna get to them?" Annie asks. I think she's realizing how serious this is. Good for her.

"I don't know," I stutter. We both look up at the window Attina and Caspian entered and we know the answer.

"Do I have to?" Annie whimpers.

"You can stay out here if you want," I tell her. She nods her head and takes a step back. I grab onto the oddly climbable fence on the side of the house, careful not to accidently grab the ivy wrapped around it, and start climbing. A light turns on from the window next to the one I'm aiming for. I tense up and make the mistake of looking down.

Annie was right, this is too high up. Okay Finnick, calm down. It's just the second story, you'll be fine…

Crap, I'll fall for sure.

"Finnick, what are you doing?" Attina asks, slinging an arm around her little sister. Caspian looks confused.

"I thought you were still inside," I whisper.

"Well we're not," Attina whispers, although it sounds more like a hiss.

"Get down before he catches you," Caspian whispers. I tremble a bit and try to climb down. I've never been scared of heights before (I'll leave that to Casper and Annie), so why should this change anything? Suddenly, a light turns on in the window above me. Crap.

"What are you kids doing?" Triton shouts. I fall off the fence and land on my back. Caspian and Attina both grab one of my arms and start dragging me behind them as fast as they can. Contrary to popular belief, it _hurts_ to be dragged behind your two best friends as you run from an angry monster. So next time you read a book and the amazing, charming, intelligent, not to mention good looking protagonist is being dragged behind someone, feel pity. Lots of pity.

"You've been through a lot today, haven't you Finn?" Attina pants, leaning against a tree. "Can you get up?"

"You don't know the half of it," I grumble as I try to sit up. Luckily, I'm not paralyzed or anything like I feared. My back really hurts, and it's hard to sit up, but that's all.

"You ripped your uniform," Caspian says.

"Yeah, Mom's gonna kill me," I wince, looking at my sleeve (or absence of one, I guess). "Remind me why we even needed to go here in the first place?"

Attina gets an evil grin and produces a pair of underpants from her backpack.

"You did not," Annie gasps.

"Anyone up for taking down that Capitol flag at the Justice Building?"

…**...**

**Attina's so evil. *maniacal laugh***

**Anyways, although I'm going to try to update Manipulation tomorrow (or today), there's a chance that it won't happen. One of my best friends is moving so we're throwing her a surprise party. Well, now that I think about it, someone might have told her. But it's still gonna be awesome (and sad, for that matter, but she's only gonna be 2 hours away so I guess it's not **_**that**_** bad). **

**Quote of the day!**

"_With this baby, we'll never be lost! *throws it out the window* Oops."_ -UP, Russel

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	4. The Guilt

8/3/14

**Hi again! Meh, this is mostly another filler chapter (I don't seem to be writing anything too exciting as of late) but next time I'll actually get the plot going. Same goes for Manipulation. I just try to keep my chapters around 1,000 words, and I keep going over. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 4: The Guilt

I yawn, stretching out on the Cresta's couch. I lay my head on the edge of the couch and let out another yawn. This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep I guess. Oh well, I'll have plenty of time to sleep on the train.

The train. I'm volunteering today, I guess. It still doesn't feel like I'm going to though. According to the clock that hangs above the door, I have 6 hours until I have to volunteer. A nervous feeling creeps inside me, but I try to shove it to the side. Careers can't show how nervous they are, otherwise the outlying districts won't take us seriously. I'm so young though, I'll need all the respect I can find.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be awake?" Annie asks. I turn to her and give her the most convincing smile I can pull off.

"Can't I say the same for you?" I ask.

"I feel kinda sick. Isn't that enough of an excuse?" Annie asks, tilting her head to the side.

"I guess so. If you feel sick you should get some rest though," I tell her as she sits on the arm of the couch I'm not laying on.

"Nah, too boring. I'll just tough it out," she says, looking at the clock. "Maybe I should wake Attina up. It takes her forever to get ready for the Reaping."

"Six hours? I think you're exaggerating," I laugh.

"She's a teenage girl. A tomboyish one, but still a girl. It's against the law for her to get ready in under three hours," Annie says. "Finnick? Is something wrong?"

Annie's a little too good at reading people's expressions. Normally if any of us have something going on, we stay away from her. However, I don't seem to have a choice today, do I?

"I just… know who's volunteering today and I'm a little worried about them. That's all," I lie. Annie doesn't buy it.

"Who?" She asks. "We can worry together."

"I can't tell you. Triton said to keep it a secret," I tell her.

"That's what he was talking to you about?" Annie asks. I nod my head in reply. "You can tell me. I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Sorry Ann, I really can't," I tell her. "You'd be too upset."

"I'll be finding out later today anyways. Please tell me Finnick, I _promise_ I won't tell anyone. Not even Attina," Annie begs. I pang of guilt shoots through me, one that I can't ignore. I wish I didn't have to keep any secrets from my friends, especially not Annie. She gives me a pleading look that I wish I could ignore, but I have to. I sit up and give her a hug.

"I'm so sorry Annie, I really can't tell you," I whisper. "I'll be okay though, right?"

"I guess," Annie says, leaning her head against the side of my neck.

Annie doesn't push the issue any further, instead choosing to go wake up Attina. Caspian eventually emerges from Reef's room and we eat our breakfast in silence. Even though we know there'll be volunteers, Reaping Day is still a dreary day for everyone. At least one of our citizens will seal their fate today. Sure, one of them may come home, but that's a 1 in 24 chance. It's just not likely. However, Careers win more than anyone else, so I suppose we don't have to worry as much as the outlying districts.

The door swings open, revealing a very tired looking Reef. "Good morning kids," he says with a yawn.

"Good morning Grandpa!" Annie says. No one else says anything.

"I think I'll take a nap before the Reapings. Attina, will you wake me up about an hour before we leave?" Reef says.

"Yeah sure Reef," Attina yawns. I get up and put my dishes in the sink.

"I think I'll get dressed," I say, gesturing to my ripped training uniform. "I don't think this would be ideal reaping clothes."

"Go ahead," Attina says, waving her hand dismissively. I walk into the living room and pick up my backpack, which is currently lying next to Caspian's. I unzip the back pocket and grab my reaping clothes: an ivory colored shirt and itchy black dress pants. I go into the bathroom to change, and I cram my uniform in the backpack where my reaping clothes were. I plop down on the couch and turn the TV on. Caspian, who changed before he ate, joins me in my conquest to find something that isn't about the reapings.

"So who do you think they'll pick?" Caspian asks. "You know, to volunteer."

"I already know," I sigh.

"Wow, who?" Caspian asks.

"Can't say. I was sworn into secrecy," I say with a roll of my eyes. I swear, sometimes Caspian can be worse than Annie about these things. "But I will say that you're not gonna like it."

"Marina?" Caspian asks, pain filling his eyes.

"That's for you to find out," I sigh.

"It's Marina, isn't it? I just know it is. I can't explain how, I just know," Caspian says, the pain in his eyes worse than ever.

We try to change the subject, but I know it's not going to work. Annie comes down from her room a few minutes later wearing a pink dress that reaches her ankles. She sits between us and starts complaining about how long it's taking Attina. Caspian actually joins her conversation, but I try to ignore them. All I can think about is how much pain I'm putting these three through.

"How do you guys get ready so fast?" Attina asks what feels like hours later. I shrug and watch as she finishes braiding her hair. "Annie, can you please help me?"

Annie scurries over to her and helps her finish it. "Why can't you just leave it down? That's what I do."

"I just don't," Attina shrugs.

"Trying to impress someone?" Caspian asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"As if," Attina scoffs. Annie and I exchange an amused glance.

"Come on, let's wake up Reef so we can get to the reaping," I sigh. _Maybe you won't be too disappointed in me_, I mentally add.

…**..**

**Quote of the day!**

"_We'll split into two teams: Popular versus Un-Popular!"_ –Chicken Little, the coach

**May the odds be ever in your favor, **

**Spectrobes Princess**


	5. The Volunteer

8/6/14

**Hi again! Sorry for the short chapter, but I won't be able to update anything until Saturday (?) so I'm trying to get as much updating done as possible. Today and tomorrow I'll be at St. Louis, and then on Friday I have to babysit a bunch of (wild) kids. **

**Anyways, thank you Violet2000 for following.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 5: The Volunteer

"Your name please?"

"Finnick Odair," I say nervously. The Capitol official pricks my finger and scans my blood. I can't help but wonder if there's a less painful way to do this. I mean, this is the Capitol we're talking about! Surely they can figure out a way to keep track of us without damaging my precious finger? I sigh and wipe it on my shirt. Mom's going to kill me, but whatever. It's not like she actually can, seeing that it's illegal to harm a tribute until the Games start.

I follow Attina to the back of the 14 year old section so we can stand by Caspian. Caspian's birthday is in August, so he still has to stand with the 13 year olds. I wave to my parents, who give me a proud smile. They must know. Triton always tells the parents after they ask the kids, not that it makes a difference. There's nothing they can do to stop me, right? Annie, who's standing between them and Reef, waves back. I smile and turn my attention to the stage.

We got here just in time. Mayor Reid, a short balding man with a couple pounds to spare, wobbles onstage and begins reading off the names of the victors.

"Mags Cohen," he says as she walks out of the Justice Building. Mags is the first and oldest victor of the Hunger Games. She must be at least 80, with her curly silvery-gray hair and frail stature. Her and Reef are pretty close, I know that for sure. She pretty much raised him after his parents died during the Dark Days. As nice as she is, however, I doubt I want her as a mentor. She's too old.

"Muscida Selkirk."

"Librae Ogilvy."

"Marissa Cresta." A picture of Marissa before her death appears on the screen. I look at Annie and Reef, who both have sad expressions on their faces. Mags, Muscida, and Librae do too. I look back at the screen and watch it dim as Reid announces the next victor.

"Ron Stafford."

"Arthur Waters."

"Ariel Waters." Ariel is Triton's niece, but she isn't Arthur's sister. They're cousins. They're the closest thing to a "family victory" that we've gotten so far, unless you count Crimson and Scarlett, the twins from District 8 who made it to the final 2 a couple years ago. Ariel flips her dark red hair and scoots closer to Arthur. Rumor has it that she's mentoring this year. I guess she wouldn't be too bad of a mentor though.

"Last but not least, Kai Urchin." Kai, our most recent victor, enters the stage proudly. With his bronze hair and sea green eyes, he could be my older brother. Except, you know, he isn't. He was super popular in the Capitol for a few years, even though he only won by chance. He and the other Tribute in the final two both got caught in one of his traps, and she starved to death before he could. Attina says his popularity comes from his looks, and I can't exactly disagree. (What can I say, the guy looks almost exactly like me, of course he looks good!)

Mayor Reid finishes his speech by reading the Treaty of Treason, and steps aside so our escort, Elena, can take the stage. Elena is a rather pig-like woman with silvery-blue hair, skin, and eyes who wears only… you guessed it! Blue! What an idiot, right? Oh, and get this! Unlike most escorts, Elena _never _changes her appearance whatsoever. She's been our escort since two years before Marissa's Games, but she's always been blue!

As you can probably tell, Elena is somewhat a buttmonkey among my little group.

"Now, before we begin, I have a little announcement to make. This morning this pair of tidy-whites was discovered hanging from the flagpole. Would anyone like to come claim them?" Elena asks.

There's a silence of shock that falls over the crowd.

"Let me repeat that. Is anyone missing a pair of unmentionables? Would anyone like to claim their flowery briefs? IS THERE A TRITON WATERS WHO IS MISSING A PAIR OF GIRLY PANTIES?"

The crowd is full on laughing now, with Ariel and Arthur laughing the hardest. A red faced Triton storms onstage and snatches the underwear from Elena's hand. Attina and Caspian and actually holding onto me for support, they're laughing so hard. Triton sends a murderous glance in our direction and a feeling of fear creeps into me.

Elena tries the best she can to compose her little prisoners, but it doesn't work. Instead, she shows us the boring Capitol propaganda in hopes to calm us down. I don't think she understands that half of the trainees from District 4 (Attina included) have a really immature sense of humor. Still, she continues on with the Reapings.

"Alright, now let's pick our boy," she says, walking over to the boys bowl. She draws a name, and I take my position.

Before I have time to doubt my plan, I yell out, "I volunteer as Tribute!"

…**..**

**A couple things worth mentioning… In my fanon, Cashmere and Gloss win after Finnick does, so that's why Ariel and Arthur are the closest thing to sibling victors at the moment. Secondly, everyone mentions that the boys and girls are separated at the reapings, but that's actually false. If you reread the first book, it says something about a boy from the Seam helping Katniss after she almost faints from Prim's reaping (well, it was something along those lines. I'm not 100% sure). Just clearing those things up before anyone asked.**

**Quote of the day!**

"_This is the library, otherwise known as Keith's nap room,"_ –Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Rythmi

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	6. The Goodbyes Part 1

8/9/14

**Hi again! I thought I'd update this tomorrow, but I guess I was wrong. Remember how one of my friends is moving? Well, it turns out that my little sister's best friend might be moving too, so I'm writing to get my mind off of it. I mean, we don't know for sure that they're moving (we'll know at about 9 or 10 tonight), but we're 90% sure of it because they've been hinting at it for a while :/**

**Thank you perksofbeingbeth for faving and following, and kittykat477 for reviewing (Aww, thanks! And yeah, I've actually seen stories where that's happened. It's pretty amusing.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention. **

…**..**

Chapter 6: Goodbyes Part 1

The rest of the reaping flew by quickly. To be honest, I don't remember it too well. All I can remember was the prideful looks on mine and Marina's parent's faces, Attina struggling to smile, Caspian hiding his face in the crowd, and Annie breaking out in tears. In other words, theres not much I wish to remember. Elena and the Peacekeepers escorted us through various hallways in the Justice Building and dropped us off at two separate doors. She told us that our friends and family would see us shortly, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I let out a sigh and glace around the room at the pictures of Kai, Arthur, and Ron. "I'm waiting," I grumble under my breath. This whole thing is making me nervous. I mean, what if no one wants to see me? When the door finally opens, I release the breath I didn't know I was holding onto.

"Hey Finnick," a voice says. I look up only to discover Korra Ula, my biggest rival at the academy. In District 4, since we're a trained district, we get two hours of time to say our farewells. The first hour is supposed to be for fellow trainees, the ones that wouldn't come otherwise. The Peacekeepers don't dictate amounts of time during the first hour, but they generally only stay for a minute or two.

"Hey Korra," I shrug. Now that I might never come back, we both know that it's pointless to keep up our old rivalry.

"I just, you know, wanted to say goodbye," Korra says, looking down at her feet.

"Thanks. Um, bye?"

"Yeah, bye," Korra says, leaving the room. Fellow trainees spill in one after another. Noah and his little brother River, Zale, Monique, Finbar, Cress, and Dory just to name a few. Penelope comes at the end of the hour and makes a bet that Attina and Caspian will be making out by the time Marina or I come home. At least someone has tried to lighten the mood. Even though the outlying districts think that the trained districts are fearless, that we want to do this, they couldn't be more wrong. We only train so we can save as many of our Tributes as possible. It's not about bringing pride to the District, it's about getting one of us home. And we're scared.

After Penelope leaves, my father comes in. The Peacekeeper informs us that we have five minutes and leaves. There's an awkward silence between us before he finally says, "I know your mother isn't worried about you, but I am. Please don't do anything stupid Finnick."

"Does it look like I'm planning on it?" I ask.

"No, and that's why I'm letting you volunteer at all. District 4 needs a victor that won't make us the laughing stock of Panem, and I know it'll be you," Dad says with a proud smile. "Just promise me you'll make it home."

"Yeah, I promise," I say, trying not to let him show how scared I am. My mom will be coming in next, and I know that she expects nothing less than bravery. She's one of the few citizens of District 4 that has bought into the lies of the Capitol.

"Good." A Peacekeeper enters the room. "I'll see you when you're a victor, alright?"

"Alright," I say as my dad exits. Just as I predicted, my mother enters the room next.

"Oh Finnick! I can't believe you're actually a Tribute now! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaims, kissing my cheek. "For a while I didn't think it would happen!"

"Yay for me," I say weakly.

"You should be very proud of yourself! Oh, but not too proud, arrogance doesn't make a victor, remember?"

"I remember," I say with a fake smile. Mom is too busy drilling me on everything that could happen in the arena to notice though.

"Do you make fires?" She asks.

"Only during the day. And they can't smoke," I say.

"Good! What's the rule about edible plants?"

"If you don't know what it is, don't eat it."

"And?"

"Don't eat anything that looks like a poisonous plant," I add.

"Perfect!" The Peacekeeper enters the room again.

"Mrs. Odair, your time is up," he says.

"Can't I have a few more minutes?" she asks.

"The Capitol is generous enough to give you any time at all. It's over now," The Peacekeeper says. Mom huffs and gives me another kiss on the cheek.

"Love you," Mom says, leaving the room. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"Love you too," I sigh, realizing that this might be the last time I see my parents. My aunt and uncle replace her and give me their sappy goodbyes, and their kids come after that. I'm an only child, but my cousins might as well be my siblings. It's funny really, how they have such a big family and I have such a small one.

Siren, the oldest, is 12 years old and takes after her mother, with her red hair and hazel eyes. Urchin, who's 9, got my uncle's bronze hair and teal eyes. Serena, who's six, took after their father too. Marlin, the two year old, has red hair and teal eyes, and Roman, the 3 month old, has red hair and hazel eyes. It's a pretty even mix, with two that take after their mother and two that take after their father. And then, of course, Marlin looks like both.

"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna volunteer?" Siren asks.

"I just found out yesterday," I say nervously.

"Why would you do it if you weren't prepared?" Serena asks.

"I dunno Serena, that's just how it works," I shrug.

Urchin, who's holding Roman, gives me an envious look. Like my mom, he's starting to believe the Capitol's lies.

"Don't worry Urchin, it'll be your turn before you know it," Serena says, jumping up and down. I think it's amusing that, even though she's half Annie's age, they sorta act like each other. Marlin climbs up the couch and throws the pillows off.

"Just… don't do anything stupid, okay Finnick?" Serena asks.

"Of course," I say with a grin.

Why does everyone keep telling me this today?

…**...**

**Quote of the day!**

"_Don't put the iPod on shuffle. It has Miley Cyrus and other Disney "treats"."_ –My youth pastor

**May the odds be ever in your favor, **

**Spectrobes Princess**


	7. The Goodbyes Part 2

8/15/14

**Hi again! I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating, but I've been very busy. Life threw a bunch of crap at me this week. I wrote an extra-long chapter to make up for it though :)**

**Thank you Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived for following and faving. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 7: The Goodbyes Part 2

When my cousins leave, I brace myself for the crazy mess that we call Attina. I can hear that woman from a mile away if she's angry enough, and angry doesn't even _begin _to describe her current mood. She bursts into the door without any indication from the Peacekeepers and starts screaming at me.

"I can't believe you!" she growls. "You knew about this? All of it?"

"Yes," I admit shakily.

"What is your problem? Do you even trust us anymore?"

"I'm sorry," I tremble as a tear slides down my cheek. Sure, I knew this might make my friends angry, but I never _dreamed_ this could damage our friendship.

The next thing Attina does is completely unexpected. Instead of screaming her head off at me, she throws her arms around me and starts crying.

"I'm sorry, I really am," I say with an unsteady voice.

"I know," Attina whimpers. "To be fair, I would've done the same. Less stress for Annie, right?"

"Right," I say shakily, "What is wrong with us? Can we even trust each other anymore?"

Attina unwraps her arms from me and wipes away her tears. "That's what happens as we grow up, I guess. I don't want it to happen, but it is."

It sounds kind of kiddish, but the next thing I ask is, "Friends forever?"

"Yeah," Attina says with a nod. "From now until the end of time."

"Good," I say, lowering my head. "Because the end is coming pretty soon for me."

"No, it isn't," Attina says. "I think- no, I _know_ you can win. Why would Triton have picked you otherwise?"

"Maybe because he hates me?" I suggest.

"Maybe, but I think it run deeper than that. He's plotting something. I don't know what it is, but I just know it," Attina says. She looks away and I follow her eyes to Arthur's picture on the wall. "You know, I think he's trying to set up a dramatic win for Casper."

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"Think about it. If you and Marina both die in the arena," Attina snickers, "Marina, arena, that rhymes! Anyways, it'll give Caspian, who's pretty much a guaranteed win for District 4, something extra to angst about. The crowd loves angst, right?"

"I still think he's trying to get rid of me," I sigh.

"Well, that too," Attina laughs. "I suppose I'll be next year. Or maybe Penelope. Who knows with that man?"

I nod my head and a Peacekeeper slams the door open. "Miss Sands, we are running late on time. Please exit the room or we'll have to take offensive measures. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, I get it." Attina turns to me and adds, "Come home safe, you idiot."

"That's the plan," I smile as she leaves. Almost as soon as she leaves, Caspian is ushered into the room. I stare at him for a moment, wondering what to say.

"You okay Casper?" I ask. Caspian shrugs and sits down on the couch. I sit on the arm of it and give him an unsure glance. "You know, you don't have to be all stotic. I'll understand if you cry. I mean, I can't but…"

"No, I- I'll be alright," Caspian says. "I'll miss you bro."

"Yeah, I'll miss you too," I sigh. "I'll keep your sister safe, okay?"

Caspian looks up at me and, despite of everything that's happened today, smiles. "Thank you Finnick."

Suddenly, without any warning, Triton swings the door open with a couple of Peacekeepers following him. "Eric two, say your goodbyes and get out!"

"What? But he just got in here!" I complain.

"Mr. Waters, sir, the boy still has a few minutes left with his friend, even when you consider…"

"Does it look like I care about your opinion? I'm employed by Coriolanus himself, for Pete's sake! I make the rules here and I say that the bratty half pint had better get out of here!" Triton says. His face has turned red from anger, and his fists are balled up as if he's ready to punch me right here right now. Caspian and I are both trembling, as well as the Peacekeepers. They flee the room in a hurry, which only makes us feel worse.

Triton storms towards us and picks up Caspian by the front of his shirt. "You better get out of here, you worthless piece of s***!"

I stare at him in shock. Sure, Triton can be grumpy on his bad days, but he's never been _this _angry. To be completely honest, I wish my mother was in here right now. She's the only person I can think of that he's scared of. Heck, she was probably the one to convince him to let me even have a _chance_ at volunteering this year. I mean, she's never that way with me or anything, but she dated Triton in high school so I guess that makes a difference. Let's not even mention the fact that Caspian is one of the biggest boys in my class. I don't even know where Triton gets this strength, for someone who just spends all day sitting in his office drinking cold coffee because his assistant doesn't know it's supposed to be hot.

Triton drops Caspian on the ground and he scampers out of the room without another word to me. I would glare at Triton if I was brave enough, but alas, I am not. All I can do is look up at him as he towers over me, glowering at me as if I'm Panem's most wanted criminal. I certainly hope I'm not!

"You! I know it was you!" he shouts. I tremble a little and fall over onto the couch. Who gets this upset about _underwear_!

"What was me?" I finally have the nerve to ask.

"You were the one who snuck into my house! Why would you do such a stupid thing, you idiot!"

Why is it that I know he's not kidding when he calls me an idiot, unlike Attina who I always know is joking around?

"So? What's so wrong with that? It's just a prank, a harmless one at that!" I whimper. Triton looks at me and starts hissing through his teeth. I hold my hands up in a defensive stance when his fist starts twitching in desire to hit me.

He doesn't answer my question, instead choosing to shout various profanities at me. I crouch into a ball and try to block out his words, but it doesn't work. After what feels like hours, he picks me up by the back of my shirt and dangles me in the air. He then drops me on the ground and I look up at him in fear.

"What would you say if I pulled a little prank on you, if that's all this is? What if I held back all sponsorship from you, huh?" Triton laughs cruelly.

"You can't do that!" I stutter. "It's up to my mentor!"

"Where do you think Careers get their sponsorship funds? What did you _think_ your registration money goes towards?

"Well… there'll be sponsors in the Capitol! Right?" I say shakily.

"Wrong again!" Triton laughs. "How many people do you think are really willing to sponsor a Tribute? Not many, that's what!"

I must look like a mess right now, with all the crying I've done, but I don't really care. All I want to do is curl up into a ball and spend the rest of my life crying. It's not like my life absolutely depends on sponsors, but it would help if I had them.

"Have fun dying," Triton glowers, slamming the door behind him. I bury my head in the carpet and start crying. Why does Triton have to be so cruel? It's not like I ever did anything to him (well, besides the underwear thing). And then it hits me. Why he's always so hard on me. Why he wants to get rid of me. Why he's always hated me and my dad so much.

He's still in love with my mom.

He thinks that I'm some obstacle in the way of my mom divorcing my dad or something. Maybe he thinks that if I wasn't in the picture, that would happen, or they could at least have an affair. I start crying again and ram my head against the couch. Outside the door, I can faintly hear voices. Out of curiosity, I strain my ears to hear them.

"I already told you, the Tributes have no more visiting time. You can't come in."

"Please! That jerk took it all away, and I haven't even seen him since the reapings!"

"Rules are rules Cresta, you can't come in. I know your type. Just like your mother, you are."

"She's not my mother! Not my real one, at least. But please, you have to let me say goodbye!"

"Okay kid, I can see you're determined. Just this once, okay?"

I lift my head as the door opens up. Annie slowly walks in as if the confidence she displayed earlier has suddenly been drained. She sits down next to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay Finnick?"

"I am now. Thanks for asking though," I say with the most convincing smile I can pull off.

Annie's green eyes are filled of sympathy as she nods her head. She knows that I'm not okay, but doesn't press the issue further. The sympathy turns to tears as she murmurs, "I almost didn't get to say goodbye."

"Don't worry Ann, I'll try to come back," I say as I sit up.

Annie glances at her bracelet and asks, "Do you have a token yet?" I shake my head.

She starts untying the bracelet. "Hold out your wrist."

I do as I'm told and she ties her bracelet on my wrist. "There, for luck." She looks up at me and says with more determination than I've ever seen in her, "Promise you'll win?"

"I promise," I say.

"Cross your heart?" She asks, noticing my uncertainty. I can't make promises I can't keep, especially when winning would mean Marina's death. However, this is Annie we're talking about. I don't know why, but it's impossible for me to even think about breaking her heart like this.

"Cross my heart."

Annie nods her head as the Peacekeeper opens the door again. "Okay Annie, this time the Tributes really have to go."

"I understand." Annie wraps her arms around me and whispers, "You can win this. I know you can."

I don't know what to say to that, so I just whisper, "Okay. Stay safe, okay?"

Annie unwraps her arms from me and sighs. "You're the one who needs to stay safe. But I will too."

"I'll see you later," I say.

"I'll see you too," Annie says as the Peacekeeper leads her out of the room. My only thought as the Peacekeeper comes back to lead me to the train is that I wish I never volunteered in the first place.

But if wishes were tesserae, they would've picked me anyways, so there's nothing to do but hope now.

…**..**

**Just to clear this up, Triton was being such a jerk because he thinks Finnick ruined his life, and it's finally his chance to get rid of him (for anyone who's read my other story, he's pretty much the Nero of District 4 :/). **

**Quote of the day!**

"_This is the best day of my life! And quite possibly the last…"_ –Frozen, Olaf

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	8. The Problem

8/20/14

**Hi again! Sorry for the wait, I was trying to create a better updating system. Hopefully I'll have it all planned out soon so I can start updating regularly again.**

**Thank you ArtemisCarolineSnow for favoriting and following, Guest (ArtemisCarolineSnow?) for reviewing (Thanks for the review), datbooktho for following, and SandyXX for following. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 8: The Problem

The train turns out to be a huge disappointment. I don't know what I thought it would be, maybe a smaller version of a room from the Capitol, but this room is no less fancy than the ones at The Academy. I suppose that place spoiled me, but I should be thankful at the same time. Maybe that's why the trained tributes (or "Careers" as the lower districts refer to us as) always win. The others are too busy marveling at how amazing the Capitol is to actually train, I guess.

Marina, on the other hand, is so excited she looks like she'll burst. This is completely understandable when you think of the fact that she's been training her whole life for this. Not many of us take it to that extreme, but the Erics do. For most of us, official training starts the fall before our first reaping, but until then our parents train us. However, there's always the option to start official training when you're five like Marina and Caspian do.

"There you are!" Elena squeals. "I've been looking for you! Mags! Ariel! I've found them!"

So those are our mentors. Marina and I look up from our seats as they enter the room and sit across from us at the table.

"Together or separate?" Ariel asks.

"What?" I ask.

"For training?" Ariel says.

"Oh, um…"

"Together?" Marina asks me.

"Yeah, sure," I shrug. Ariel nods her head and grabs a notebook out of nowhere. She scribbles a note in it and looks at Mags.

"Okay, which stylist are we giving each kid?" Ariel asks.

"Spook for the girl," Mags says without much thought. I remember Spook from earlier Games. I believe that he was Kai's stylist if memory serves. I have to admit, Marina's pretty lucky. That guy's pure genius.

"Are you sure?" Ariel asks again. "Because I think that…"

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing Ariel," Mags says. She looks at us and asks, "So what are your skills?"

"I'm good with a sword," Marina says confidently.

"And you?" Mags asks.

"I can use a trident," I say nervously.

"Perfect," Mags says before turning to Ariel. "I do believe it would be in our best interests for you to take Marina."

I spit out my drink.

"I thought you wanted her?" Ariel asks.

"Changed my mind," Mags says. "I've worked with his type before. I think I can get a winner out of this one."

"Well, if you told her you were mentoring Marina shouldn't you…" I stutter, trying to change Mags's mind. She won't budge. I look at my food, suddenly losing my appetite. If I got Ariel, maybe she could have convinced Triton to give me my sponsor money back. But Mags? I doubt she has any way of getting it back, ever.

"Finnick, I know what I'm doing," Mags says with a smile. I still don't trust her judgment, seeing as she's old and probably going senile. I've seen it happening to Muscida, and honestly it isn't pretty. A ringing noise interrupts the silence. Ariel grabs her purse and starts shuffling through it until she pulls out a small cellphone.

"Hello? ….What? ….You're drunk again, aren't you? …..Goodbye," Ariel says, hanging up the phone. We all stare at her curiously. "That was my uncle. The guy's drunk again," she sighs.

"Already?" Mags asks.

"Yeah, he left right after the underwear thing. Come to think of it, he was probably drunk earlier. Might've explained how it got up there in the first place," Ariel shrugs.

"Excuse me," I say, getting up from the table. The girls stare at me in confusion as I exit the car.

Because all the Districts are different distances from the Capitol, we all stop in District 6 for the night to refuel so we can get there at similar times. Because of this, even the closer districts need to sleep on the train for a night. I find the room marked **D4 MALE**, right across **D4 MALE MENTOR **and next to **D4 FEMALE**, and collapse on the bed. I guess I'll lay here for a moment and figure out what to do next. Not the most brilliant plan on earth, but what else can I possibly do? Tap dance?

Attina says you can solve any problem if you just think about the emotions behind it. She always tells me that's what problems boil down to, your emotions, and that if you can sort them out you'll think of something. She's pretty smart, so I'll take her word for it.

First of all, I'm angry at Triton for even choosing me in the first place. All of this is his fault, because any other time I would've of let Attina and Caspian do something that stupid. Secondly, I'm mad at Mags for choosing me instead of Marina. Thirdly, I'm upset that Marina will have to die for me to go home, and if I don't go home, I'll break my promise to Annie. Fourth of all, I can't seem to figure out why the promise means so much to me in the first place.

I think for a few more minutes before deciding that this did nothing at all to solve my problem. However, I have come to the conclusion that I accepted Annie's promise because I'm selfish. As much as I try not to be so selfish, it never changes anything. If I wasn't selfish, I would've told her that I couldn't promise her that because I can't guarantee the victor of the Games, and if I could I'd choose Marina. Instead, I made a promise I probably can't keep and sealed Marina's fate. How thoughtful of me.

I feel too frustrated with myself so I take a shower, hoping that maybe I can wash away my feelings. This, by the way, doesn't work. Instead, the shower abuses me when I press the wrong button and I leave the bathroom feeling worse than ever. I find some pajamas and slip them on, leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor. I put Annie's bracelet on the table next to my bed and lay my head on the pillow. It's a little too early to sleep, but I don't care. I stayed up late last night and it's been a long day.

I sigh and take one more longing look at the bracelet before I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

…**..**

**Quote of the day!**

"_Does this look like a taxi to you?" _–Teen Titans, Raven Roth

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	9. The Capitol

8/24/14

**Hi again! Okay, I know it's been a while, but I've finally figured out my new update system. I'm hoping it'll make things go quicker.**

**Thank you EpicRedSquirrel for following and favoriting.**

**Reviews:**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow- Lol, sometimes this website can be glitchy like that. I think it did that to me once or twice. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 9: The Capitol

As the train jerks to a stop, I can hear the heard of Capitolites screaming from outside of the train.

"Are they always this loud?" Marina asks. Ariel and Mags nod their heads, causing Elena to give them an offended glare. I'm actually somewhat thankful for the woman's constant squealing now. Otherwise I could never hear it over the crowd.

"I'll go first!" Elena squeals (for lack of a better word). She then struts off the train and into the narrow passage separating us from the wild animals… em, Capitolites. Ariel gestures for Marina to go next, who bravely steps into the crowd. They scream in delight, and despite myself I smile. If I can't win, Marina has too. Knowing that one of us will die is hard, but at least we know District 4 will have a victor.

"Come on Finnick," Ariel says.

I suddenly feel very nervous at the prospect of running into a swarm of weirdoes. I turn to Ariel and ask, "Can't you go next? I mean, you know, after your Tribute?"

Ariel laughs and tousles my hair. "Sure thing kid. No need to be nervous though."

I watch as Ariel effortlessly steps into the path, as if it's no big deal. I stare in awe, wishing it was only that easy.

"You'll get used to it," Mags smiles. "Go on boy, it's your turn."

I straighten up and try to look brave. I put on my best smile and take my first uneasy step in the Capitol. A thought hits me. I'm actually here, finally a Tribute in the Games! Just like I always dreamed I would be! I puff my chest out proudly and my smile turns genuine. After all, I am a Tribute now.

And then someone grabs me.

I panic slightly as I feel myself being dragged off the side of the railing. I jerk my head forwards in an attempt to wiggle free. I look ahead. Ariel and Marina aren't having any problems, so why am I? Suddenly, I feel a pair of hands on my back as someone pulls me away from the rabid Capitolite.

I start panting as I catch my breath, but Mags nudges me forward. "It's not over until you get past those doors. Catch your breath then!"

I nod my head and run towards Ariel, not caring if it looks bad. I just want to get away from those freaks. I focus on taking one step at a time, until I've finally caught up to Ariel and Marina. I let out a groan of frustration. What am I thinking? These could be sponsors, for crying out loud! Mags helps me get through the door, which I'm pretty grateful for, and I can finally breathe again.

"Thank you," I pant, looking at Mags thankfully. She doesn't seem to notice, instead punching in numbers on a keypad near the door.

"What's she doing?" Marina asks.

"Letting Spook and Tigris know we're here," Ariel says coolly. I still can't believe how easy that was for her. I don't think I'll ever be able to get over it.

"Alright, let's get you kids to your stylists," Mags says. I can already tell this will be a long day.

….

And I'm right. It _is_ a long day. My prep team scurries around me and makes comments about how gorgeous I am (which is something I will not deny), pretty much abuse me with all these hair removal tools (I thought they only did that to the girls!), and inflicted many other forms of torture upon me (you don't even want to know…). Finally, they left me in nothing but a ridiculously girly bathrobe and went to fetch my stylist. This does, however, give me an opportunity to spy on the Capitol from the window of the remake center. It's kind of funny, watching the little dots of color scamper around doing nothing. I could do this all day if given the option.

"Hello Finnick," a scratchy voice says. I turn away from the window and get my first look at my stylist. Unlike a few of the stylists, you can certainly tell she's a Capitolite. Sure, her basic appearance is normal enough- straight, hip length flaxen hair and wide tawny eyes. Other than that, however, she's been altered more than anyone I've ever seen. Her skin has been dyed orange and tattooed with black tiger stripes. Her nose has been mashed in to look like the nose of a cat, complete with whiskers. She even has a tail. That's right, a _tail_, of all things. I try to look past all of this, but it's nearly impossible.

"Um, hello," I say nervously. She smiles warmly and sticks out her hand for me to shake. I try to avoid her overgrown, claw-like nails.

"My name is Tigris, and as you can probably guess I'm your stylist," She says, a slight purr to her voice.

"Nice to meet you," I say, trying to smile the best I can.

"Let's get on to business, shall we?" Tigris asks. I nod my head and watch as she presses some buttons to reveal a gigantic closet.

"Of course, the lower districts don't really have this luxury, so the stylists have to worry about the outfits getting wrinkled. I'm pretty lucky to get a Career district my first year, wouldn't you agree?" Tigris asks.

"This is your first year?" I ask.

Tigris laughs, "I'm not as old as I look. The surgeries age you quite a bit. You've seen Snow, right? Hard to believe he's only forty."

"Snow's forty!" I gasp.

"Give or take a couple years," Tigris purrs. "Between you and me though, it's not like he's had that many surgeries to begin with. You know, laws of Panem and all?"

I nod my head again as she goes through the closet, murmuring slightly to herself.

"So why do you think he looks so old? I mean, if he's only forty, his hair shouldn't be that grey," I point out. I feel slightly guilty, gossiping about the president, but I have to admit this is more interesting than anything I've seen on this trip so far.

"He says it runs it the family, but I wouldn't believe him for a minute. My bet is on substance abuse, but…" Tigris trails off, unsure of whether or not to trust a mere teenager from the districts with something like this.

"But what?" I ask.

"There have been rumors, that he poisoned his political enemies during his rise to power. That he'd drink the poison too so they wouldn't get suspicious. He killed his own father and brother that way. They say that the antidotes are what caused those sores in his mouth. If that's true, I believe that those antidotes could cause such rapid aging," Tigris says, her tawny eyes glittering with curiosity.

"Couldn't you get in trouble for saying things like that?" I ask.

"If Snow wants to get rid of me, he'll have to drag me kicking and screaming," Tigris laughs. "Good luck with that Snow!" she says in a slightly louder voice.

I decide that Tigris isn't too bad.

…**..**

**As usual, this chapter was going to be longer, but I decided that I can split it into two chapters so I can update faster next time (how typical of me).**

**Quote of the day!**

"_So I set out with only a wagon, a mule, and a completely IRRATIONAL sense of optimism,"_ –The Lorax, Onceler

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	10. The Call

8/27/14

**Hi again! Okay, so maybe I've hit a slight writers block for this, but I'll get over it. And if I don't? Well, I always finish my stories, so I'll just force myself to write. Trust me, that's the best way to get over writers block. For me it's usually just laziness mixed with even more laziness.**

**Thank you Demiwizardtributeinitiate for following and Brittanypehlke for following and favoriting.**

**Reviews:**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow- Right, it normally doesn't happen though. **

**Demiwizardtributeinitiate- Thanks! I do try to keep things interesting :)**

** Brittanypehlke- Sure, I'll check it out!**

**Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived- Thanks! I'm too much of a cat lover to not be a Tigris fan, and since Katniss said that Tigris was a stylist in one of the earliest Games she could remember, I figured that it was probably around Finnick's Games. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 10: The Call

"So I'm guessing Marina's a mermaid?" I ask, looking in the mirror at my pirate costume. It is, after all, the traditional costumes for District 4. Sure, we usually get a couple spins on things here and there, but it's usually a pirate and a mermaid.

"Well, she was going to, until I said something about it. But when you think about it, it just doesn't match. Spook didn't like it, but she's a pirate like you," Tigris says.

"She'll like that better," I say. "I mean, she loved mermaids as a kid and stuff, but she's always complaining about how sexist it is that the boys get different costumes."

"Yes, that's a problem," Tigris says absentmindedly as she searches through the closet. "Okay, I think that's everything."

"So are we ready to go down?" I ask.

"It seems that way. I guess we'll be the first down then," Tigris says. She leads me back to the lobby, which links to the stage where the interviews take place. Beneath it is the garage where the tributes get ready for the parade. The horses are already lined up and ready to go, so we make our way to the chariot for District 4.

To say the wait is boring is an understatement. Sure, I have the bragging rights of being the first Tribute down there, but it's just not worth it. I pass the time by telling Tigris about District 4, and she tells me about the Capitol, and we make fun of some of the fashions (according to Tigris, if you're going to look a little weird you might as well go all out weird. I have to say I agree with her on this, no matter how stupid she looks). We must wait for hours, but still no Tributes show up. It gets to the point that we start stealing sugar cubes from the horses, which isn't very nice of us but we do it anyways. Eventually, the pair from 7 make an appearance in their ridiculous tree costumes, but that's it.

And then it happens. The Tributes start swarming in like a school of fish. Several of the mentors show up too. Eventually Mags, Marina, Ariel, Spook, and Elena join us. Mags and Ariel give us some last minute advice, Elena shoves us on the chariot, and Tigris wishes us good luck. We're confused at first, but then we notice District 1's chariot is already moving. I pop my remaining sugar cube in my mouth and wait for our chariot to start moving.

To say that the crowd loves us would be an understatement. As soon as they see us, they start screaming in delight. I'm not sure what the big deal is, but it's probably Marina. Someone even throws a bra at us. Disgusting, right? I mean, who does that? President Snow gives a speech, and the horses lead us to yet another garage, connected to the training center this time.

"You were brilliant!" Elena squeals. "I just wanted to grab you off that chariot and take you away!"

"You did well," Tigris purrs.

"Now we just have to worry about pedophiles," Marina jokingly whispers.

"Too late, we already have Elena," I laugh. Ariel and Tigris, who were standing close enough to Marina to hear her comment, try to conceal their laughter.

"For what?" Elena asks, causing my stylist and Marina's mentor to break out laughing.

"We need to get to our floor," Mags says, grinning at our immaturity.

We take the elevator, somehow getting stuck with District 7. The mentors, Blight Mason and Ivy Birch, actually make some kind of attempt to converse with us, while the Tributes just look at us jealously. Probably because we've trained.

"Blight?" Mags asks as we're about to exit the elevator. "Have you seen Angus recently? I was hoping you could give him a message."

"Sorry, I haven't. You'll have to talk to him yourself if it's that important," Blight says.

"I was afraid of that," Mags mumbles darkly as we leave.

"Who's Angus?" I ask.

"Just a District 10 victor," Ariel says. I still can't understand why talking to him would be such an issue, but I don't press the issue further. Tigris shows us to our rooms and leaves us to get changed. I'm somewhat glad about this, seeing how itchy my costume is. When I'm done I leave my room and sit down in one of the chairs silently, waiting for the others. Right now, the only one in the room is Mags, who's deep in conversation with someone on the phone.

"Finnick?" Mags asks. "Someone wants to speak with you?"

I give her a confused look, but take the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Hey dork, I saw the parade."

"Attina?" I laugh. "How are you calling me?"

"I'm using the phone from that empty house in Victor's Village. How else?"

"Right and you're calling me why?"

"I think Triton's on to us."

"Tell me something I don't know. Did you see how angry he was?"

"Right. Casper says… Oh for crying out loud! Anastasia Marissa Cresta, stop that right now!"

I try not to laugh.

"As I was saying before Annie _so rudely interrupted me_, Caspian thinks he'll try to sabotage your time in the arena or something. I'd be careful if I were you."

"What could he possibly do to me?" I ask. My eyes trail over to the hallway, where Marina is emerging from. "Is Caspian there? I think Marina might want to talk to him."

"Oh, yeah, I'll go get him."

I get Marina's attention and hand her the phone. I walk away so I can't eavesdrop on the conversation, probably because it would be too painful to hear. I mean, one of us or the other is going to die, and it'll be hard on Caspian either way. It's hard to even look at Marina without thinking about it.

Needless to say, I skip dinner that night.

…**..**

**I'll try to update my newest story tomorrow, but no promises. **

**Quote of the day!**

"_What's the similarities between Justin Beiber and a skunk? They both stink. What's the difference? The skunk can sing." _–Me

**If you actually like Justin Beiber, just replace his name with a different singer you hate.**

**May the odds be ever in your favor, **

**Spectrobes Princess **


	11. The Enemy

9/6/14

**Hi again! I'm trying to update more, I really am, but I've just been super busy recently (which is saying something because I'm homeschooled. I used to only get out of the house 2 or 3 times a week). **

**Thank you Detective Awesome for following and favoriting.**

**Reviews-**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow: Oh my gosh, I freaking hate that guy too. Was that the thing about "I'm sure if she was alive today she'd be my biggest fan"? That's just disrespectful.**

**Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived: One of my cousins used to be a fan of him (it was pretty annoying). I don't think I've seen them either.**

**DetectiveAwesome: Thanks :)**

**Demiwizardtributeinitiate: I think I started doing those about a year ago. I really like them too :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 11: The Enemy

"Alright, let's prove to those weirdoes that District 4 will win this year," Marina grins as we walk down the flight of stairs. Since District 4 has one of the bottom floors of the training center, it's probably better for us to take the stairs. The stairwell looks a lot different from the rest of the Capitol. It's just kind of… gray. To say this disappoints me would be a complete lie. If you had to look at a living rainbow for a couple days like I have, you'd like the color gray too.

"They'll be so scared they'll all jump off their landmines like they did-" I pause, trying to remember what year it was. "Um… the year Ivy Birch won?"

Marina laughs as we open the door to the lobby. "I think that was the 41st Games, give or take a couple years. I really can't remember."

We're directed to a door behind the reception desk that leads to the training center. We take a seat next to the revolving door and wait for the other Careers to show up. Mags and Ariel specifically told us that our pack is supposed to stick together during training this year. Of course, they're the experts at these things, but I think it's kind of silly. I mean, what if I don't want to show them my skills with a trident? What if Marina doesn't want to show them her sword? Oh well, it's not like either of us have a better strategy.

A group from one of the outlying districts comes in next, but after that the pair from 1 enters.

"You must be from 4," the girl says with obvious bitterness in her voice.

"We are," Marina says, glaring at the girl ever so slightly. I can tell she's trying to keep her cool, but that's not always an option for her considering her temper. She's gotten much better at controlling it since she started training, but she still has her moments.

"I'm Brilliant and this is Shimma," her partner says.

Brilliant? Shimma? Okay, I'm used to District 1 having odd names, but I think this year they've outdone themselves.

"Marina and Finnick," Marina says, gesturing to me.

"Nice to meet you," I grin, holding out my hand. Brilliant shakes it without hesitation, but Shimma still glowers at us as if she's superior. The Tributes from 2, Nolan and Alana, come in after that and we make our way through the revolving door. The other tributes stare at us with a mix of fear and awe, just as expected. We find our places as the head trainer explains the rules of training. I didn't know that there were rules, but it's a good thing I found out (even though I doubt I'd fight with another tribute).

We're dismissed to the stations and The Pack makes their way to the knives so Shimma can show off. As it turns out, her bark is worse than her bite. Brilliant, on the other hand, turns out to be, well, _brilliant_, with axes. Nolan's okay with a spear, and although Alana isn't the most social member, she's willing to show us her incredible ability to use throwing starts. Nolan informs us that she can use clubs too, but prefers the stars. After that, it's time for lunch. I normally don't eat lunch right now, so I'm not very hungry. However, I have the foresight to eat anyways.

"You two seem rather close," Shimma points out. "Were you in the same classes or something?"

I can tell she's looking for an excuse to point out how small I am, possibly so she can kick 4 out of the Careers. Marina must pick up on this too, so she very bluntly says, "No, but Finnick wasn't too far behind me. I bet he was ahead of you even."

There. Marina's done it. Her and Shimma are now enemies instead of allies. Shimma looks like she's about to explode, but Marina only sits there with a smug expression on her face. The others only glance at the tension and ignore it.

"I can show you after lunch," I say nervously, trying to distract Shimma. I need Marina to get to the arena in one piece.

"Well of course you can Finnick," Shimma says, her expression darkening into a cruel twisted smile. Then it hits me. If I mess up, it won't only seal my fate, but my friend's as well.

Forget what Marina has done, what have _I_ done?

…**..**

**I'm going to try to update again before next week. Cross your fingers!**

**Quote of the day!**

"_Okay, family time is over, it is now personal time… I'll be in my room."_ –The Lorax, Ted's mom

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	12. The Challenge

9/12/14

**Hi again! So, long story short, this was supposed to be updated on Wednesday, but then stuff happened. **

**Reviews: **

**ArtemisCarolineSnow- Thanks :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention**

…**..**

Chapter 12: The Challenge

Shimma smirks as I slowly make my way to the trident station. I gulp and look straight ahead, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing the scared expression on my face. Well, not scared, just nervous. But Shimma seems like the type to make assumptions like that so I don't take the chance. I shake away my trembles and grab a trident similar to the one I use at home. I aim for the target and take a deep breath.

"What are you waiting for small fry? Aww, are you… scared?" Shimma laughs.

"Shut up Shimma, he's just a kid!" Brilliant snaps.

Just a kid. That makes me angry. I am **not** just a kid. I'm here to win if I can, to get Marina out if I can't. Why can't they see that I'll be the death of them? I angrily throw the trident without thinking about my aim and it lands nearly a foot away from the target. The laughter starts before I get the opportunity to collect my weapon. I snatch it off the ground and stomp back to the rest of the pack.

"Oh wow, that was even more pathetic than-" I cut Shimma off by throwing the trident again. Unsurprisingly, it hits the edge of the target instead of the center.

"At least you hit it this time," Marina says in a somewhat comforting voice. I feel my cheeks turning red from embarrassment as I assess the situation. It doesn't look like the odds are in my favor right now. I spot the rope course and figure it's worth a shot. I double check to make sure no one's using it and approach it, trident still in tow. I can just feel the confused glances I'm getting, but I ignore them. I take a few steps back and actually aim the trident properly. And I throw it.

The sound of surprised gasps fills my ears. I dare to look up, and when I do I see that I caused the entire ropes course to collapse. A proud smile appears on my face before I can even think. The gamemakers seem the most surprised, but only raise their eyebrows at this.

"I'm going back to the floor," I tell Marina shakily. She nods her head, her eyes not daring to meet mine.

I don't bother to see the reactions of my fellow Careers, instead making my way through the revolving door and plopping down on the bench.

"Rough day?" a voice asks. I look up and frown.

"I guess you could say that," I sigh.

Tigris tilts her head to the side. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really. What are you doing here?"

"The stylists and mentors have to watch training. Supposedly it's rather boring, so thank you for the drama," Tigris shrugs.

"So you're telling me that Mags saw what just happened," I groan.

"Sorry," Tigris sighs.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"Depends on how you look at it. You've just proven how useful your skills are to your allies, but I'm not certain you'll still be viewed as an asset as oppose to, say, a threat. Besides, it's not like it's your job to replace the ropes."

"Right," I nod my head, still not feeling any better.

"Actually Finnick, it was pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that," Marina says, walking through the door.

"Thanks Marina, but shouldn't you be training?"

"They dismissed us so they could fix the course. If I were you I'd leave before the others see you like this," Marina says.

"Of course," I say, getting up and following the girls out. When we get to the lobby, Tigris freezes.

"Tigris darling, I didn't see you there!" a woman with silver skin says.

"Clio," she says, her voice straining. "Nice to see you too. Um, I need to… go."

"Yes, you certainly do," Clio says, narrowing her eyes. Tigris ushers us to the stairs, away from Clio.

"Who was that?" Marina asks.

"Just a District 7 stylist. She's a bit of a, well, it's not exactly a word I prefer to use," Tigris sighs.

"We understand. She sounds a lot like Zale," I laugh.

"My thoughts exactly," Marina says. We continue up the stairs before Tigris can ask who Zale is. Come to think of it, I think I've already told her about the little brat (okay, "little brat" doesn't seem like the right term considering he's both older and bigger than I am, but still).

When we get back to the floor I go straight to my room and change out of my training uniform. I try to decide what my next course of action should be, because I know I need to get the other Careers to tolerate me- not trust though, because that rarely exists in the Games. When I can't decide what to do, I just decide to wing it.

And we all know how well _that_ always turns out.

….

**Quote of the day!**

"_Ooh, bad grammar. That ought to scare him." _–Teen Titans, Raven

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	13. The Strategy

9/16/14

**Hi again! So, sorry for the short chapter. I don't want to write out the private sessions because I feel like I'd ruin them, and I couldn't think of anywhere better to end the chapter. **

**Thank you shards-of-darkness for following**

**Reviews:**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow- Lol, that made me think of Aunt Josephine from A Series of Unfortunate Events. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 13: The Strategy

As the days go by I find myself actually fitting in with the Careers. Even though there's little to no trust between us, I can already tell we'll make a somewhat functional team. The key word being somewhat. But who cares? I mean, at least 5 of us are going to die.

I think it hit me around the second day. Chances are, at least one of us won't even make it past the bloodbath. Actually, there's no guarantee that any of us will survive this. Why am I even bothering to try and make friends? I almost fainted at the thought, excusing myself to a different station so I could pull myself together. Marina, being Marina, followed me there and gave me some odd variant of a pep talk. She would make a great leader, if not for Shimma. Come to think of it, she'd make a great rebel too (no idea where that came from, but okay then…).

"So what's the plan?" Tigris asks as I finish eating my breakfast.

"What plan?" I ask.

"For your private sessions," Tigris says, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh, I think I'll just throw my trident a couple times," I shrug, realizing just how little thought I actually put into this.

"That's all?" Tigris asks.

"Well what else am I going to do?" I ask.

"Maybe you should ask Mags about it," Tigris says, braiding her light brown hair. "She must have an idea or two."

"Right, because she knows the trick to getting a 12," I say irritably. It's not Tigris's business whether I listen to my mentor or not.

"Just… ask. Please? For me?"

"Fine," I sigh as Tigris gets up from the table.

"Don't worry about the sessions. You'll do fine."

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"Just to talk to some of the others. I'll meet you afterwards," Tigris says. By others I assume she means the other stylists. I nod my head as she leaves, only to be replaced by Mags in a matter of seconds.

"How are you feeling?" Mags asks, taking a seat directly across from me.

"Fine, I guess. Just a little nervous," I say, an edge of hinting in my voice.

"You should show them a noose or two," Mags says.

"Huh?" I ask.

"I heard you talking to Tigris. Weapons are something the gamemakers can always count on to see. Other skills? Not so much," Mags says before I interrupt her.

"But the weapons are more intimidating," I point out. Mags merely chuckles at my interruption instead of correcting it like Elena would. Speaking of whom, I wonder where she's been lately. I haven't seen her since we started training.

"They may be, but that does absolutely nothing to show how competent you'd be using that trident against an actual human being. Even the lower districts fall into _that_ false sense of security. And seeing that you can makes better traps than Kai can, I'd suggest you _use_ that knowledge. I'm not suggesting you ignore the tridents though, seeing as they're your best shot at killing someone."

"Maybe I could hang a dummy with the trap and-"

"Yes! Precisely! Wouldn't be a bad strategy for the arena either," Mags points out.

"Noted," I say with a smile. Even though I still doubt Mags in ways, I'm starting to trust her more than I do the other Careers.

Not like that's staying much, but at least it's _something_.

…**..**

**Again, sorry it's so short. **

**Quote of the day!**

"_Okay kids, let's see who can get home the quietest without touching the dirty sticks!"_ –a girl from my church.

**It's a long story…**

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	14. Interview Angles

9/19/14

**Hi again! So, I've decided to quit the title theme (putting the word "the" in front of all the chapter titles) because it's getting exhausting. I don't have any other comments (or excuses) so let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

**Reviews-**

**Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived: Thanks! I think the mellow chapters are easier to write, even though I love plotting the more exciting chapters.**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow: Long story short, about a year ago there was a bible study at someone's house and the teens somehow got put on babysitting duty. We decided to take them to a park nearby the house, but to get there we had to walk through a (really muddy) nature trail, and the kids kept picking up sticks and insisting that they were going to take them home to their parents. It was… um… interesting?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 14: Interview Angles

As it turns out, Mags was right. If I just threw tridents, I probably wouldn't have earned my 9 in training. Yes, that's right, a 9. It hardly compares to Marina and Brilliant's 11's, but I guess it'll work. The pair from 2 got 10's, and Shimma only got a 7.

"They were distracted!" She had exclaimed. "If they weren't, I would've gotten a 12! You agree, don't you Brilliant?"

Brilliant only look at the ground and sighed.

Meanwhile, Tigris has spent the first half of the day coaching me on etiquette for the interviews. Elena would have done it, except she's still missing. I wonder where she could be, although Tigris tells me not to dwell on it. There's not much coaching to do since I'm a guy, so a lot of our time is spent talking. At least she's one of the decent Capitolites. Actually, she's better than decent. She's my _friend_, as impossible as it sounds. Marina says I'm lucky to have her, and I have to agree.

"So will I have to wear a dress or something?" I ask teasingly.

"Yes, a bright pink one," Tigris says jokingly. "Just like the one that friend of yours was wearing at the reapings."

"Ouch, I was afraid of that. It has sequins on it you know," I say, pretending to wince.

"Ooh, the more sparkle the better. I'll add glitter to it too!" Tigris laughs.

"No please don't! It has enough glitter as it is!" I say before fake fainting.

At this point, Tigris is laughing too hard to respond.

"Please tell me we're joking," I laugh. At that moment, Mags comes in. She raises her eyebrow when she sees my stylists literally rolling on the floor laughing, but then waves her hand dismissively.

"Finnick, I'm ready for you," she decides.

"Um, okay. See you Tiges," I shrug.

"See you too," Tigris says, finally composing herself. I follow Mags out and into her room.

"So what's my angle?" I ask.

"Be yourself."

"Excuse me?" I ask, painfully confused.

"You have too nice of a personality to play pretend. I'm sure the Capitol would appreciate the real you more than some fake you I pull out of nowhere," Mags says, nodding her head in approval of her own plan.

"Oh, um, okay," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "So what do I do?"

"Just answer Caesar's questions," Mags smiles.

"So, should we practice?" I ask.

That's just what Mags had in mind. We go through question after question. Hopes, dreams, strategies, my family. Thoughts on other competitors, I learn, is something I should stay away from at all costs. Or at least not mention my thoughts on a certain tribute from 1.

"So Finnick, is there a special lady waiting back home," Mags asks.

"Not really," I say. "Well, unless you count my friend Attina and her sister, but I don't think that's what you're meaning…"

Mags smiles. "Tell me a little about your friends then."

"Well, first of all there's Attina. She's a bit stubborn, and she's the most mischievous person I've ever met, but she does have a soft side. You just have to know her to find it. And then there's Marina's brother Caspian. He's kind of reserved, keeps to himself a little, you know, but he's the best friend I could possibly ask for," I say with a smile.

"Anyone else?" Mags asks. At this point, it seems that she isn't interviewing me anymore, instead taking an interest in my life. It feels nice to talk it out, so I do.

"Just Annie," I say indifferently. I can feel myself blushing (for lack of a more manly word), which is weird because I _never_ blush. Ever.

"_Just _Annie?" Mags asks quizzically. I can't see why she's so curious about this.

"I don't know what else to say about her," I say defensively.

"I'm sure you can think of something," Mags says. "You seem to have a thousand stories about her for Tigris.

Yeah, but that's different.

"Okay," I sigh. It takes me a minute, but I finally think of something. "She'll creep up on you."

Mags gives me a strange look.

"Not literally… okay, maybe she does. A lot. But when you first meet her, she doesn't seem like much. You know, just another ordinary person. And then you get to know her and, I don't know, she just-"

"Finnick, that's called a crush," Mags smiles.

"What! Why would you think tha-"

"That doesn't sound like denial," Ariel says as she walks down the hall. I glare at her while Mags laughs.

"Okay, if I have a crush on Annie, then fog is incredibly deadly and it can kill you," I scoff.

"Is that a bet, Finnick," Mags smiles.

"I guess so," I say with a smirk.

"Still doesn't sound like denial!" Ariel yells.

"Shut up!"

…**..**

**I just couldn't resist ending it there.**

**In other news, if anyone likes Teen Titans, I have a new story for it. Don't worry, it's not that awful Teen Titans Go crap. The (incredibly short) prologue is the only thing up right now though. **

**Quote of the day!**

"_Once there was an ugly barnacle, and he was so ugly that everyone died. The end." _–SpongeBob Squarepants, Patrick Star

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	15. The Interviews Part 1

10/2/14

**Hi again! I'm sorry it took so long. I was going to update earlier, but I was visiting my grandparents' and apparently my mom forgot to mention just how long we were staying. And they don't have Wi-Fi. So, without further ado, here's the chapter!**

**Thank you .9 for following and 221bLondon for following and favoriting**

**Reviews:**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow- Thanks :)**

**Demiwizardtributeinitiate- Thanks, sometimes I think I use foreshadowing too much but…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 15: Interviews Part 1

I nervously shift my weight between my feet as I wait for Tigris to come back with my shoes. Apparently someone *cough*the prep team*cough* forgot that shoes were even necessary. It makes sense, considering their constant barefooted-ness, but I don't think the rest of the country shares their opinion. Someone knocks on the door, which is odd because my stylist usually walks right in. I pause for a moment before deciding to open the door anyways.

"Elena?"

"Oh Finnick! You look absolutely handsome!"

"Um, thanks? What are you even doing here?" I ask.

"Well, firstly I had to bring these," cue a pair of tacky shoes popping out of seemingly nowhere, "and secondly I needed to wish you luck!"

"Luck? I don't think luck has anything to do with it," I say with a frown. I take the shoes from Elena anyways. I wonder why Tigris sent Elena of all people to deliver my shoes. From what I've seen, Tigris has very little trust for other Capitolites, taken to an extreme with those similar to Elena. Besides, these don't look like anything Tigris would make. Although she tries to stand out, she does it reasonably. As in, the shoes aren't little octopus slippers. I absentmindedly set them off to the side.

"Of course luck has to do with it! May the odds be ever in your favor, right!" Elena squeals.

"Well, the odds aren't exactly in anyone's favor at the moment, but-"

"So what's your angle?" Elena asks.

"Um, Mags told me to-"

"Forget what that old hag told you to do! I have a better plan!"

"I'm listening," I say, trying to play along. Who knows, maybe she does have a better plan. But still, she insulted my mentor. I'm not going to let go of that easily.

"Finnick, has anyone ever told you that playing nice will get you nowhere in life?" Elena pauses as if waiting for me to answer before continuing. "If you really want to live, you'll have to use your looks!"

"My… looks?" I ask.

"I'm not going to lie, you're one of the best looking Tributes I've seen in years," Elena says. "You can use that to your advantage.

I resist the urge to point out that I'm only 14, and that she's acting rather pedophiliac at the moment. Instead I ask, "How would that help me?"

"Well for starters the ladies would love it. The more ladies the more _sponsors_," Elena says.

Suddenly, reality hits me. I don't just want sponsors, I _need _them! And Elena's suggestion is better than anything Mags could ever come up with! It's not like there's any risk, so why _don't _I take it! I look Elena in the eyes, trying to see if she's deceiving me. If there's a catch of any kind.

"I should be going," Elena says, strutting out of the room. I nod my head and close the door behind her, a plan quickly forming in my head. A few minutes later, much to my surprise, Tigris actually returns.

"Finally found them," Tigris groans. "You wouldn't believe where I found them. Go on, guess!"

"Where?" I ask, not fully paying attention.

"In Elena's room," Tigris says. "Why I even thought to look there I'll never know, but I'm glad I di- what are those?"

"These?" I ask, pointing to the slippers. "I don't know."

"Weird," Tigris muses. "You know, this day is getting stranger and stranger."

"Tell me about it."

….

**Quote of the day!**

"_Oh no, the firehydrent is underwater! NOW how will the firefighters put out the fires!"_ My dad after the roads flooded

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	16. The Interviews Part 2

10/12/14

**Hi again! I just realized it's been over a week since I updated. Sorry guys, I guess time slipped away from me. **

**Reviews:**

**Demiwizardtributeinitiate: Ouch, even the mention of research papers brings back painful memories. Seriously, I had to do one on Brazil last year and all the books about it at the library were checked out (and this is a pretty freaking big library we're talking about). **

**Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived: Yeah, it's pretty obvious what side of the family I get my weirdness from ^.^**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow: That's okay. I appreciate reviews even if "great job" is all they say :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 16: Interviews part 2

"What the heck was that!" Marina hisses, dragging me off to the side. By my ear.

"Owww, stop it 'rina. That hurts!"

"Shut it Odair! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just doing what Elena told me, please don't hurt me!"

Marina lets go of my ear and crosses her arms. "What _Elena_ told you? Why didn't you listen to Mags?"

"I-"

"Finnick!"

Mags and Tigris approach us, looking even more ticked off than Marina is. I gulp and brace myself.

"Have you lost your mind?" Mags snaps.

"I-I'm sorry. But what did I even do?"

Marina's eyes widen. "Crap! Mags, stop! He didn't know-"

"Maybe he didn't, but someone did!" Mags says, her eyes settling on Tigris.

"I would never!" Tigris growls.

"Then who-"

"Elena," Marina says, her voice filled of venom.

"Hello Marina! Long time no see!"

Ugh, what's with her voice? It's like it's more high-pitched than usual. I don't have time to ask though, because the next thing I know Tigris lunges out at her. Elena shrieks, unable to fight back. Tigris pins her to the ground and starts growling.

"Tigris, that's enough. I'll deal with her. Take the tributes back to their quarters," Mags demands. Tigris stops growling, but the glare in her eyes never quite goes away. She bares her fang-like teeth and hisses at Elena before leading us to the elevator.

"I'm sorry Finnick. I thought-"

"It's okay Marina. Just… Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I ask.

Tigris frowns and presses the button on the elevator. "You dug your own grave, that's what."

"What do you mean? I've seen tributes use that strategy before, heck, some of them even won! What's the problem with it?"

"Finnick…" Marina says gently. "It's not what happens during the Games. It's what happens after."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Tigris and Marina exchange a look. "Snow… sells… some of the victors. Well, not them. He… sells their bodies."

"I don't understand…" I say.

"What I mean is, after the Games," Tigris pauses and sighs. "After the Games, if a victor is, well, attractive enough, President Snow sells them out."

"Meaning?" I ask.

"Finnick, you've had "the talk", right?" Marina asks.

I feel my eyes widen in shock. "Y-you're saying that, now that I used that strategy…"

"Maybe it would've happened anyways. I was afraid of that, when I first met you, but I thought you were too young. And maybe you are. But you're also too young to die, and well, look what could happen. I'm sorry Finnick, I tried. I really did," Tigris's voice breaks at the end before a few tears drip down her face.

"Don't worry Tigris. You did your best," I say, forcing a smile.

Tigris wipes the tears off her face and clears her throat. "Sometimes, the best just isn't enough, is it?"

I nod my head and put a hand on her shoulder. "You tried. That's all that matters."

Tigris smiles wistfully. "I guess it is."

I keep thinking about what happened at the interviews all night. I know that I should focus on winning the Games first, but for some reason I can't. For some reason, it just isn't sinking in that I'll be in that arena this time tomorrow. I know I should be scared, but I can't do that either. It doesn't seem like I can do anything today, does it?

…**..**

**Quote of the day!**

"_That was so bad it made my eyeballs throw up!"_ –some random character on SpongeBob

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	17. The Games

10/17/14

**Hi again! I now have an updating schedule! Long story short, expect updates every 4-6 days. I need time to write November's updates so I don't have to worry about that during NaNoWriMo.**

**Reviews!**

**ArtemisCarolineSnow: Thanks :)**

**Demiwizardtributeinitiate: Aw, thanks! The quotes are actually one of my favorite parts of updating :)**

**Sorry if I didn't get everyone, I had to read these on the computer *sweat drop***

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention**

…**..**

Chapter 17: The Games

"You need to wake up boy," Mags whispers. I groan and bury my head into my pillow.

"Can I have five more minutes?" I moan.

Mags laughs and turns the light back off. "Only five."

"Thanks," I mumble as she leaves. As soon as I hear the door close though, reality jolts me awake. "Mags?" I yell.

Mags calmly opens the door. "What's wrong?"

"Today's the arena, right?" I ask, a pang of nervousness hitting my stomach.

Mags frowns and sits down on the bed next to me. "Don't worry Finnick. I know you'll make it."

"But what if I don't?" I ask shakily.

Mags wraps her arm around me. "You'll be free."

_I'll be free._

"I don't get it," I frown. "What do you mean?"

Mags sighs. "There's a saying in the mentors room. The moment your name is drawn from that bowl, you become Snow's property. I disagree though. I'd say the moment you're born, Snow has full control over you. Dying is just a way to escape."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," I say.

"It may not at the moment," Mags muses. "But when you've been a victor as long as I have, it does. Come on, we need to leave."

I climb out of bed and follow Mags to the elevator. She presses the buttons and we wait for it to get here.

"How did you do it?" I ask.

"Do what?"

"Win."

"Oh."

"Well how did you?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't?" I ask.

"It's like I said Finnick," she says as we walk into the elevator. "No one wins these Games."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. What can I do that could possibly buy me more time on this crappy excuse of a planet?"

Mags stops to think for a moment. I take a deep breath. This is my last chance to get advice from Mags. I hardly care about the sponsors anymore. If I listened to Mags in the first place, things would've been better. Finally, when I'm about to board the hovercraft, she speaks up.

"Stay with the pack, but only for as long as necessary. Get your supplies and run as soon as you can. Don't even bother with winning their trust because you'll never have it. Stay on guard and take as much caution as possible. Regardless of who's supposed to be on watch, either you or that girl need to be awake at all times. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mags," I say.

"Oh, and Finnick?" Mags asks as I grab the ladder.

"Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on that girl from 1."

"I wouldn't dream of the opposite."

….

"Are you nervous?" Tigris asks, cutting the awkward silence.

"Yeah, maybe a little," I sigh.

"Don't be. You'll do fine," she reassures me.

"And what about when I get out?" I ask.

"If anyone does so much as looks at you, they'll be hearing from me," Tigris says.

"Thanks," I smile.

"Oh I mean it. I can use a trident just as well as you can. Of course, I won't pay their hospital bills or anything, but…"

"Really?" I scoff.

"Really," Tigris smiles.

"How can you use a-"

_1 minute to launch._

"Well," Tigris says.

"Well," I repeat.

Sigh.

"I guess it's time to go," Tigris says.

"Yeah."

"Hey, don't worry. I know you'll be fine."

"I guess so."

Silence.

"Goodbye Finnick. Next time I see you, you'll be a victor," Tigris says wistfully.

"Bye Tigris. I'll see you soon, okay?" I say, even though the odds aren't completely in my favor.

"Okay," Tigris says as I step in the tube.

I'm really here. I'm really gonna do this. It's official. I'm in the Hunger Games now. And I'll do whatever it takes.

Whatever it takes for Marina to win.

…**..**

**All will be explained next chapter**

**Quote of the day!**

"_You'll like Amy… She's an ARTIST!"_ –Toy Story 2, some random Barbie doll

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**

**Ps, sorry if this is the story that got a Toy Story quote last update. I can't think of any of the other quotes on the list at the moment *nervous laugh***


	18. The Begining

10/22/14

**Hi again! I am officially 4 chapters ahead on this story! On the other hand, I'm kinda embarrassed because I accidently posted the wrong chapter last update and I had to go back in and change it…**

**In other words, some of you **_**might**_** have already read this chapter if you caught the last update early enough… **

**Okay, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I have mentioned.**

…**..**

Chapter 18: The Beginning

I know you're probably wondering when I made the incredibly stupid decision to make sure Marina leaves the arena instead of me. I wish I could say it's because I value her life over mine, but unfortunately that's not the case. Last night I was thinking over and over again about what Marina and Tigris said about the fate of the victors, and I started getting all scared about it. Somewhere along the way I decided that it would just be better to die and get it over with, and I can't completely abandon Caspian and Attina, can I?

Before I can dwell on this further, my tube is lifted into the arena. I take a deep breath and try not to panic. Sure, chances are I won't be leaving this place, but that doesn't give me an excuse to die screaming. The first thing I notice when I see the arena is how open the area is. Apart from a couple palm trees, there doesn't seem to be much foliage. Sand sparkles in the sunlight, but not nearly as much as the cornucopia. On one side of us is an ocean filled of unnaturally blue water. The arena's a beach, almost tailor made for District 4. Perfect.

I brace myself as the countdown begins. I have the unfortunate position of being stationed behind the cornucopia, which absolutely sucks. I look over my shoulder and see that there is in fact a forest, but to call it small would be an understatement. It probably only has 30 or 40 trees, so it won't be easy for tributes to hide there. In other words, if you can't swim you're dead meat.

The gong booms and I wait for another tribute to jump off their plate before I do. After what happened in Ivette Birch's Games, you can never be too careful. After she safely lands, I follow her to the mouth of the cornucopia. I search the entrance frantically for a trident, but I can't find one. What happened to my trident?

"Get the knives!" Marina yells as she slashes off the boy from 6's head. I wince and nod my own head before grabbing half a dozen daggers off the ground. I haphazardly flick one towards a random tribute, but it misses terribly. Suddenly, I'm grabbed from behind. I spin around and stab the boy from 7 in the eye. He squeaks and drops me, giving me the opportunity to stab him in the chest. A cannon booms as I run away from the body. I shove all my guilt to the side for another day and throw another knife into the throat of the girl from 11.

Another cannon booms and I stop to catch my breath. I feel a hand on my shoulder, so I spin around and almost stab someone before realizing who it is.

"It's over," Alana says calmly. "I don't see anyone else."

"Oh. Are you okay?" I ask, gesturing to the cut on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine. The girl from 3 would've slashed my arm off if Nolan hadn't been there," Alana gushes.

"No big deal," Nolan says. "You would've done the same for me."

"How many did you get?" Brilliant asks me.

"The girl from 11 and that boy from 7," I pant. "I didn't get any major injuries, but I'm a little panicked," I admit.

"Right. And you?"

Marina shrugs. "Boys from 9 and 6, girls from 10 and 12. How about you?"

"Boys from 3 and 5. Lucky, you got twice as many as I did," Brilliant nervously laughs.

"I got the girl from 3 and the boy from 10. Allie just got the boy from 12, but she helped a little with District 3," Nolan says.

"That's nothing," Shimma scoffs, causing Marina to roll her eyes. "I got the girls from 8 and 9 without _any_ help!"

"Who's left?" I ask.

"Girls from 5, 6, and 7, and the boys from 8 and 11. The Games will be over in no time," Marina announces.

"Where do you think they went?" Nolan asks. "Aren't Marina and Finnick the only swimmers here?"

"You have a point," Brilliant says. "Marina, what do you think?"

"I don't know. It seems awfully fishy to me," Marina says.

"You don't know," Shimma scoffs. "How could we expect any different?"

"Well what's your theory brainiac?" Marina snaps.

"Um, well…."

Marina and I exchange a bored look.

"Doesn't sound like you have one either," I smirk.

"Shut up!"

"Hey guys…"

"That's not the point right now. Right now we need to figure out how they got off the island," Brilliant says. Although Shimma claims to be our leader, it's obvious who it really is. Besides, Brilliant is just a natural leader.

"Guys…"

"Swimming is almost instinctive," Marina points out. "Although it takes time to learn different strokes, almost anyone can float."

"Right, but what about…"

"Um, guys, Alana's been trying to say something for the past 30 seconds," Nolan says. We all turn to Alana, who's standing on the edge of the water.

"Look at this!" Alana says in awe.

I run over to the unrealistically still ocean. Wouldn't there normally be waves? I touch my foot to it, only to find that it's not water at all. It's more like ice or glass.

"They ran across," I gasp. "Alana, you're a genius!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Alana says shyly.

"Tomorrow we need to go to another island," Brilliant suggests.

"Right. Marina? Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" I ask.

"What do you have to say to her that the rest of us can't hear," Shimma sneers.

"It's personal. As in, not your business," I snap. Fortunately for us, the other 3 Careers nod their heads understandingly.

"Don't take too long, we need to start planning," Brilliant says.

"We won't," Marina promises.

I lead her to the other side of the cornucopia and whisper, "We can't trust them."

"I know," Marina whispers. "Even if they're not the most untrustworthy group, this is the Hunger Games."

"One of us needs to be on guard at all times," I whisper.

"Sounds like a plan," Marina replies.

"Are you two done yet? We need to divide supplies!"

"Coming!" We both yell.

In the end, I end up with about half a dozen spears and 14 knives. Marina gets 3 swords, a net, and a dagger, and Shimma takes the rest of the daggers. Nolan takes the rest of the remaining spears, and Brilliant gets two axes and all the remaining knives. Alana takes two clubs and all the throwing stars we can find. Each career takes two packs, one for supplies and another for spare weapons. I know it seems like we're taking a lot, but it's better to be prepared than to be stuck in a situation where we need things we don't have.

My supply pack contains some food, a sleeping bag, two canteens of water, a bit of rope, and some matches among other things. Marina and I have an unspoken promise to keep them stocked at all times in case we have to run. No, scratch that, we keep them stocked at all times for _when_ we have to run. I know it's coming soon, and I want to be prepared. I think we would run now, if given the chance, but there's safety in numbers.

A little _too_ much, I guess. The Gamemakers must know this too. What else can explain what happens next?

…**..**

**I'm running out of time to update, so here's the quote of the day!**

"_That glop I feed you every morning is walrus meat. You're a cannibal!" _–the guy on The Walrus Song

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	19. The Attack

10/27/14

**Hi again! Guess who has all of the November updates written! It was surprisingly easy, thinking back on it. I thought it would be harder. Huh. Unfortunately, I still have most of my updates for The Remaining Enemy to write and the update for Reading The Hunger Games will be shorter than usual. So yeah, I'll be busy this week, but at least it's good NaNo prep.**

**For those of you who have read my other story, The Manipulation Games, this chapter guest stars Johanna's little **_**friends**_**. And for those of you who haven't, just know that the part where I called them her friends was sarcastic. **

**Thanks for reviewing, Demiwizardtributeinitiate! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 19: The Attack

"So, there are 6 islands," Brilliant says.

"That's right," Marina says, nodding her head. "Which means there are 5 tributes scattered across 5 different islands."

"So where do we go, then?" I ask.

"Let's try the one directly across from us. It seems like our best bet," Nolan suggests.

"Maybe we can split up? You know, each of us take a different island?" Marina suggests.

"How can we trust you to do that," Shimma sneers.

"How can we trust _you_?" Marina counters. Shimma gasps in offense.

"Stop arguing like a bunch of little kids," Brilliant snaps. "We need to focus. Has anyone noticed anything unusual about the islands?"

"I have," Alana says quietly. "They're all different colors."

"She's right," I say with a nod. "This one's yellow. The one across from us seems kind of purple. And the islands we're stuck between are orange and green."

"So it's a rainbow?" Shimma scoffs. "How _pathetic_!"

"It may be pathetic, but it's the truth. Where are we going, the purple island?"

"I think so," Nolan shrugs. "Lead the way 4's. You know this stuff better than the rest of us."

"C'mon Finn," Marina says. "Are you coming or not, Shimma?"

"Fine," Shimma groans, obviously despising the thought of Marina leading us.

We then set out on our journey across the ice. I try to shrug off my fatigue from staying awake for so long last night, reminding myself that it's for the best. Marina gives me a sympathetic glance and wraps her arm around me.

"It'll be okay Finn, you'll see," she whispers softly.

"How can you be so sure?" I ask. I feel so exposed without a trident I can hardly think straight anymore. I can't help but wonder what happened. I mean, there's _always_ a trident, so what made this year different? Maybe the gamemakers _did _put a trident in the cornucopia, but a different tribute picked it up. Or maybe they _didn't_ put one in there, just to spite me. I can't think of why they would do something like that to _me_ of all people though. I mean, what did_ I_ do? _Sheesh._

"District 4 will have a victor this year. I know that much. Who knows, maybe they'll let both of us win," Marina whispers.

"That's crazy! They'd never do something like that! This is the Capitol we're talking about! They don't even know what mercy is!"

"And how do you know? We could make it, just the two of us. Then, when they expect us to start killing each other, we refuse. We'll either make it back to Casper or make a statement trying. Elena's right, this is just a game, and now that we know our opponents strategy, the odds are in our favor! Don't you see?"

"What's going on?" Brilliant asks worriedly.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"The ice! I think it's cracking!" Nolan gasps.

We look down only to see that, sure enough, the ice has started to crack into a thousand tiny pieces. Marina and I exchange a horrified look. The Capitol heard us, didn't it? In merely seconds, the ice shatters entirely. Shimma and Nolan scream, while Alana and Brilliant start panicking.

"Relax guys, we can help you," I say, trying to stay calm. "Don't let go of your backpacks, we'll need them later. Marina and I can each take two of you."

"O-okay," Shimma stutter, taking Marina's hand in one hand and Brilliant's in the other. I grab ahold of Nolan's hand while Alana clings to him for dear life.

"Right," Marina says coolly. She's doing a surprisingly good job at staying calm, despite her worst enemy depending on her for survival. "Now just keep your heads above water, okay?"

"How deep do you think the water is?" I ask.

"Maybe 7 feet or so," Marina says. "It isn't that big of a deal, but you guys should still hang on. Finnick let's try to get them to the island."

"Sounds like a plan," I say with a nod. "Come on Nolan."

I drag District 2 behind me as I follow Marina. We try not to go too fast, but sometimes we can't really help it. It's an instinct for us to race each other, and I wish we could. There's so little room for fun in a place like this. However, it seem that the gamemakers and I disagree, because the next thing we know a school of piranha-like fish start swimming towards us.

"What's that?" Alana whimpers.

"Not sure," Marina frowns. That's when one leaps out of the water and lunges itself at Shimma. It nips her on the face and she screams in pain. Blood starts gushing out of the wound like a waterfall.

"We need to get out of here," Marina orders, prying the fish off Shimma's nose.

"Come on, to the nearest island!" I shout, dragging Nolan and Alana behind me.

Marina and I frantically swim towards the green island, clinging to Nolan and Shimma. Alana and Brilliant, the two allies I can tolerate more, presumably keep ahold of their respective district partners.

"Nolan!" Alana shrieks. I jerk my head around to see that the two lovebirds (what! We were all thinking it!) somehow became separated. Great, just great.

"Allie!" Nolan panics. He lets go of my hand and flails towards her. "Hang on, I'm coming for you!"

Suddenly, Alana lets out an ear shattering scream. In an instant, she's being swarmed by the piranhas. I swim towards them as fast as I can, but it's too late. Allie's as good as dead.

I grab Nolan's shoulder as one bites my face. "Come on, we need to go," I tremble.

Nolan acknowledges me and grabs Alana's wrist. She sobs in pain as we scramble to safety. Not even the Capitol can save her now.

Of course, they're the reason she's dying in the first place. I don't think she'd want their help. I don't blame her- I wouldn't want it either.

…**..**

**Yep. I am so done with Morte Pisces.**

**I just realized that after the chapters I have written, there are only a few chapters left **_**to**_** write. In other words, the end is in sight for my Hunger Games stories (unless you want to count Reading The Hunger Games, because I'm getting nowhere with that one)! I wish I could say the same for my Teen Titans story, but even though I know how it will end… let's just say I don't exactly know how it will get there…**

**I'm so pathetic. **

**Quote of the day!**

"_Can we just smash the song Wrecking Ball with a wrecking ball? Because this is the 3__rd__ time I've heard it today… in this store." _–Me

**Curse you Macy's. Or at least I think it was Macy's… *thinks* yeah, it was totally Macy's.**

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	20. Scars

11/2/14

**Hi again! Sorry, this is a day late. NaNoWriMo is a lot harder than I thought it would be! On the bright side, I've already written 2,943 out of 50,000 words! Yeah, I know that sounds lame, but I think it's a pretty big accomplishment, especially for my first year doing this! **

**Thank you Violet2000 for favoriting and WinnieCocoaFlip for following, and Gabby Delacour for reviewing! Don't worry Gabby, I'll make sure to bug my sister about it ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 20: Scars

I drag myself onto the shore and start spitting up bloody saltwater. I catch my breath and turn around to make sure everyone else is okay. Marina is leaning against a tree panting, Shimma's lying on the ground, Brilliant is sitting next to her, and Nolan is crouched over Alana, begging her to stay with him. So no, everyone is not okay.

I force myself to get up just as the cannon booms. I walk over to Nolan and glance at Alana's dead body. "She's gone," I whisper, my voice slightly trembling. Everyone seems to hear it though. The first death of the Career Pack- and it came earlier than usual. Brilliant and Marina murmur to each other nervously, and Shimma disappears into the leafy green jungle. So that's what island we ended up on. I leave Nolan to mourn and follow Shimma.

"Where are you doing?" I ask her.

Shimma ignores me and starts picking a few out-of-place yellow flowers. She bunches them together in a bouquet and sighs. "What do you think, 4?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"About Alana. I mean, we're Careers. I didn't think the Capitol could touch us, you know what I mean? Gosh, I just…"

"I know what you mean," I say.

Shimma nods her head and gestures for me to come with her. We walk back to our group and notice the hovercraft dangling above us.

Shimma walks towards Alana's body and puts the flowers in her hands. "Rest in peace, little girl," Shimma whispers before leaving.

"Goodbye Allie. I didn't really know you, but…" I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "I'll never forget you."

I step away and let Nolan say his final goodbyes. I exchange a look with Marina. "You okay?" she asks.

"I-I think I will be," I say.

"You two got along pretty good," Marina says sympathetically. "It's hard to replace friends like that, even if we are in the Games."

"She reminded me of Annie," I sigh. "I just… I don't know. I can't believe she's gone."

Marina shakes her head. "She was only 16. That's too young to die. Heck, _18_ is too young to die. What was Snow thinking?"

"He didn't start the Games," I remind her.

"No, but his father did. So, I guess it's still Snow," Marina says. "At least fire melts snow."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Everything has a weakness," Marina says simply. "No matter how powerful Snow is, something can and will bring him down."

I frown. "Should you have said that out loud?"

"What can they do? Send more of those whatever-they're-called? They can't walk on land!" Marina scoffs.

"Morte Pisces," Nolan mutters, picking up one of the dead fish.

"Excuse me?" Brilliant asks.

"Morte Pisces. It's the old language for "fish of death"."

"Suits those monsters enough," Marina says darkly.

"Morte Pisces," I repeat, tasting the words on my tongue. "I like that."

"Morte Pisces it is," Shimma sighs.

"Why are we naming muttations to begin with?" Brilliant asks.

"I dunno, it's something to do I guess," I shrug.

"Oh my gosh!" Marina gasps.

"What?" I ask.

"Your face! It's bloody!" Shimma gasps.

I calmly walk to the water and bend down to study my reflection. Sure enough, it's covered in blood. I splash my face with water as the hovercraft collects Alana. The whole thing is still so surreal. I look back into the water, but apparently my face isn't just covered in blood. It's bleeding.

"How do you bandage a wound if it's on your face?" I ask.

Marina runs over and grabs my head. "That's weird, it should've scabbed over by now."

"So what should I do?" I ask.

"Here," Marina says, digging through one of her backpacks. She digs out a first aid kit and finds a couple of bandaids. "Okay, hold still," she says, sticking them on my face. "There. Sorry Finnick, I didn't spend too much time studying first aid. I guess I should've."

"No, it's okay. No harm done, right?"

"Right, but it could leave a scar," Marina says, obviously worried.

"Don't worry about it, okay? Scars are cool," I smile.

"If you say so," Marina says. Her voice drops to a whisper. "Did you think about what I said earlier? When the ice broke?"

"Yeah, a little."

"And?" Marina asks.

"I think it just might work."

…**..**

**As much as I hate Shimma, she needed a pet-the-dog moment. It added a little length to the chapter too, and that's always nice.**

**I hope you guys had a good Halloween. I was Katniss, my sister was Prim, and my brother was… the Hulk. Hey, at least we tried! **

**Quote of the day!**

"_*in the pool* I'm peeing!"_ Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Manny Hefley

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


End file.
